(4) Return to the Wild
by JasmineTheFangirl
Summary: "You're searching for the WHAT!" So far, Leilani Corcovado-Kratt has survived gossip magazines, Zach, modeling and now "death." When she returns to the Tortuga she finds everything different- and the crew hunting for the fabled Loch Ness Monster... and someone else is too. Not for science, though: for a much worse reason. [I DON'T OWN WK]
1. I Am So Dead

**Hi, guys!**

 **1) I'm back!**

 **2) You probably hate me.**

 **3) I'M REALLY SORRY!**

 **Yes, like in the description, it does have the Loch Ness Monster in it... and you can thank my family this time because we were talking about it at the dinner table once. I thought, "OMG! What an amazing fanfic that'd be."**

 **R &R?**

* * *

 _ **Leilani's POV**_

Darkness. Everything is dark. But I know who I am: _Leilani Corcovado-Kratt, Queen of the Wild._ I don't know how long I've been here in the darkness, though. All I can think about is my family: Chris Kratt, Aviva Corcovado-Kratt, Martin Kratt, Candice Jones... and the mysteries I left behind. I have so many questions. Am I dead? Is this like the Underworld from Percy Jackson? Valhalla from Magnus Chase? Is Candice engaged to Martin? What happened to Zach? Are Chris and Aviva alright? What happened after I died or whatever? (What did the gossip magazines say?)

I finally see something- a golden light. I have no idea what it means for me, but I think I'm dead. I run towards it, hair flying behind me, like in a dream. I see a flash of light when I enter the golden light, and it's a throne room. The woods are into view behind the throne. But now that I see it, I realize it's _in_ the woods. The sides are open, and a red carpet leads up to the throne. I walk slowly down the carpet, and then realize my clothes have changed.

Instead of what felt like comfortable clothes, I now have a dress on. It's long, with two straps on the edge of my shoulders. Green leaf-like lace makes up the top over a white under-fabric. My shoes are heels, although I can't tell what color. The dress comes to the ground, and is flow-y: when I spin, the dress also sort of spins on its own. I like it. Maybe I'm going to meet the Queen of England!

I touch my hand to my head, where I feel a tiara. I know what this is: the Queen of the Wild tiara Alessandra gave me when she disappeared in ghost form. I walk down the red carpet, hands at my sides. I'm a queen too, so do I have to curtsy? I guess I'll do so out of respect. I walk forward, but I forget all about curtsying when I see the lady on the throne.

 _Alessandra Richardson. My mom._ That confirms it! I'M DEAD.

"A- A- A- Alessandra?" I ask. "Uh, I mean mom."

She laughs and smiles. "Hello, Leilani. Alessandra is fine. You're probably wanting an explanation, aren't you?"

"Ya think?" I reply.

"Okay, okay. Well, I'm _truly_ Mother Nature, which makes _you_ Queen of the Wild. I chose the name Alessandra and came to Earth as a baby, just like you. I grew up as a normal child, but I still knew I was Mother Nature. I couldn't control nature while as Alessandra, and it just happened... well, _naturally._ I knew that Ian and I were meant to be and would die together- I can see the future of nature and other things. I knew the day would come when Zach would kill the animals, so I read that story to you every night." Alessandra/Mother Nature smiles. "Any questions?"

"If I'm Queen of the Wild, then what was Marcy?" I ask. "And am I like some element of nature or something? And where's Ian/dad?"

"You mean me?"

I turn around and find Marcy, smiling, in a light blue dress and a tiara, too. It's a princess dress- long and poofy. The top looks like Elsa's dress from Frozen. (It's adorable. I'm jealous.) Her tiara is many shades of blue, like the sky. We hug, and she still looks younger then me. I've missed her _so_ much.

"I can answer that," she replies. "I'm the queen of the _weather._ You know, rain and shine and all that stuff. Snow. Like Queen Elsa. _You_ are just the wild. Like, the animals and stuff. Right, mom?"

"Right." Alessandra says, stepping off the throne. "Ian is and was a normal human. You're also not technically dead, but not alive either. I know it's weird."

"Can I go back?" I ask. "I have to see them again."

"To Earth?" Alessandra looks over at me, and the scene changes. We're on a space station looking down at Earth. "Well, you can go back."

"What's the catch?" I raise an eyebrow. "I can't know the Wild Kratts? I can't be Leilani anymore?"

"No catch." Alessandra smiles, putting her arm on my back. "Well- one, I guess. You won't come back to life within three seconds- at least a month after. You _can_ go back as Leilani, Queen of the Wild, though."

"Send me back!" I exclaim. "Like, now!"

 _I have to get back!_ I think. _Chris! Aviva! Martin! Candice! I'll get to see them again! See if Koki actually has a crush on Martin. See if Candice and Martin are engaged. See if Chris and Aviva are back to normal. See what happened to the entire crew. I can't wait! OH MY GOD!_

"You're not happy here?" Marcy asks, walking forward a little. "You can make it anywhere you want. Here, I mean. A beach... a forest... whatever you want."

I sigh, and realize my comment sounded selfish. "I mean, I _do,_ and it's amazing here with you, but... I kind of miss my old life. I miss the adventures with the Wild Kratts. I love you, though."

"I know." Marcy hugs me. "It's okay. Try not to die again. We'll be watching."

I laugh. "No promises. Can I talk to you in the mortal world?"

I decide to call it like that. They called it _Muggle world_ in Harry Potter, and _mortal world_ in Percy Jackson. It just seems better.

"Yeah... no." Marcy sighs. "Sorry."

Alessandra places a gold necklace with a green charm on me. It looks like nature, and I swear I can see a tiny forest in the green charm. "This is goodbye. We'll be watching."

"Bye! I love you!"

And those are my last words before I teleport out. I can hear them saying they love me too, and I feel like the luckiest girl on Earth. Then there's a bright flash of light, and I shut my eyes.


	2. Return

**Chapter 2! :D**

 **R &R?**

* * *

When I open my eyes again, I am back on Earth, and guess what! I am in my normal clothes- silver jacket, jeans, and a T-shirt. The T-shirt is light purple this time. I tap the top of my head and could feel the tiara. So, okay, I'm back as Leilani, Queen of the Wild, yada yada yada. Alessandra wasn't lying. The teleporter thing had disappeared. I look around. Where am I? What state? I look behind me and start to walk, slamming into something.

The Tortuga. The teleporter thing had brought me home.

"Oh my god," I whisper. "Thank you. If you can hear this, _thank you._ Which you probably can't."

The Tortuga's parked out in the country, on the edge of a forest. It hasn't changed at all. The ramp's open and I hear arguing. Probably deciding where to go. I walk up the ramp slowly, then turn into the main control room. The door opens and everyone stops arguing.

"Hello," I say. "It's me."

 _HELLO FROM THE OTHER SIIIIIIIIDE! I MUST HAVE CALLED A THOUSAND TIIIIIIIIIIMES!_ (Adele is amazing. Don't judge me.)

It's silent for a few seconds before everyone tackles me in a hug. We all fall to the floor, laughing. It seems like a movie scene. It's so perfect. I wish I could freeze this moment in time forever.

"Leilani Corcovado-Kratt, WHERE have you been for the past six months?" Aviva asks. So that's how long it's been for them... I'm glad everyone's still alive.

"What happened?" Chris asks, brushing some hair out of my face. "You look unchanged."

"Well, long story short, apparently I'm _literally_ the daughter of Mother Nature, aka Alessandra," I answer. "And I wasn't technically dead. I'm still confused, though. I'm Queen of the Wild, and Marcy was- is- the Queen of the Weather."

" _That_ explains this." Candice grabs the tiara from off my head, and I laugh. " _I'm_ the queen now!"

"Hey, give it back!" I exclaim, grabbing for it. "Oh, whatever. What happened while I was gone?"

I gave Martin a look, and he laughs, rolling his eyes. "Yes, Leilani, Candice and I are engaged. The wedding's already happened, though, just a simple one."

"Oh my god!" I exclaim. "I KNEW IT!"

Candice laughs, and shows me the ring. It's bright blue- probably a sapphire- on a silver band. It's super cute. Then she hands my tiara back.

"And... you're going to be a sister."

Time seems to freeze. I gasp, amazed. This is perfect! I get a sibling! Aviva's pregnant! Suddenly Luna seems to notice me. She runs over and pins me to the floor. Like I wasn't dirty enough!

"THIS IS THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE!" I exclaim, laughing. "Any other useful information I need to know?"

"Gavin hasn't dated anyone else," Chris adds. "So I guess you're still his girlfriend. If teen romance works like that."

"It does," I assure him. "What happened to Zach?"

"He escaped," Martin answers sadly. "We haven't heard from him since."

"Well, crap. I thought he was dead." I mutter. "So... where are we going?"

"Oh, we're going searching for the Loch Ness Monster," Aviva answers, like it's the most casual thing in the world. It's like saying, _I'm going to walk the dog._

"You're searching for the WHAT?!" My eyes go wide. "Okay, why?"

"Well, lots of debates are going around now. Is it real or is it fake? So we were thinking, right before you came in, let's go see," Candice answers. "We should get going, and I can explain on the way."

"Of course, you, the Nessie nerd." Martin laughs. "Go ahead. But she might bore you."

"Hey!" Candice exclaims, slapping Martin on the side.

"Ow," he mutters. "It's not a bad thing!"

"It better not be, Martin Kratt!" She smirks, laughing.

"Jimmy, plot a course to Loch Ness, Scotland!"

* * *

So we're headed to Loch Ness, and Candice explains about the Loch Ness Monster quest thing. "The legend dates back to sometime in the 500's, and we were watching debates about it. I mean, it _is_ an animal if it's real, right? And it _could_ be real! Loch Ness is like 22-and-a-half miles long and 1 to 1-and-a-half miles wide and up to 755 feet deep. Not to mention it's got 263 thousand million cubic feet of water! If we find it, Aviva will probably make a Loch Ness Monster power suit. If we find it, it will be one of the biggest- if not the biggest- scientific discoveries ever! I mean, a 1500-year-old creature? Who might even be older? The Loch Ness Monster? We're totally going down to the bottom of the loch in the amphisub. I think the bros have gone deeper in the _ocean,_ and I heard the bottom of Loch Ness is totally flat. Chris said it might be a dinosaur or a descendant of one. Something that started with a P..."

 _Martin was right!_ I think. _She is a total Nessie nerd, but why not? The Loch Ness Monster seems interesting._

"Plesiosaurs," Chris called. "It's called a plesiosaurs."

"Whatever he said. That." Candice rolls her eyes. "Anyways, it's also called Nessie. As you might have figured out from what Martin said. Most people who believe in it think it has a long neck and turtle-like flippers... or at least _I_ think it looks like that. Hey, I wonder if would come out for you! You're the Queen of the Wild!"

"I don't know," I reply. "I could try, but probably not. Anything else?"

"Nope. Oh, and here." Candice hands me a stack of magazines. "You're famous."

"Forget these." I roll my eyes and set them next to me. "I'm so over them."

Candice laughs. "No, you're not."

"Nessie nerd," I tease.

"HEY!"

"I now crown you Queen Candice of Loch Ness." I laugh, then put the tiara on her head.

"Nice. I'll be sure to get Martin back for it. Maybe drench him in lake water." She winks at me, and I laugh. "Wait, since I'm married to him, does that make him the king? Then he'll drench me back."

"Only if you have the same last name," I joke.

"Well, sorry, he'll get me back! I'm Candice _Kratt_ now." She laughs and hands me back the tiara. "But maybe _you_ can drench him."

"I will," I promise. "If the lake will let me control it, which it probably won't."

Candice walks out of my room laughing. My room has remained relatively unchanged. I look through the gossip magazines. I just want to see what... lies they have. Articles like _Leilani Dead: Zach's Fault?_ and _Leilani's Death: The World Reacts_ and _Goodbye to a Queen._

Then Chris walks in a few hours later, and I realize I am so not over the gossip magazines. But is that a bad thing? No. I'm only reading the parts with me in them. And I can tell you firsthand that 50% of the stuff in them is WRONG.

"Hey."

"Hey."

He pulls me into a hug. "Leilani, you _scared_ us. I thought I lost you."

"Surprise," I reply weakly. "I'm back."

"I couldn't forget the promise that I broke," he whispers. "I'm sorry."

"It wasn't your fault." We break the hug and I set the gossip magazine on the table. "I did it on my own free will."

"Still, I said I wouldn't let you get hurt, and then you _die._ " Chris shakes his head.

"Well, Alessandra said I wasn't technically dead. But that makes no sense to me." I shrug. "It's. Not. Your. Fault."

"But-" he begins, but I cut him off. I'm going to win this argument.

"No," I interrupt. "It's not your fault. It never was, and never will be."

I look into his eyes, and see worry and... fear? Then he breaks eye contact. "I'm your _dad._ I'm supposed to save you."

"You couldn't. I know you wanted to." I reply. "It was a story she told me. Alessandra. She read me that story. She knew what would happen."

"Why?" he asks after a minute. "Why couldn't she save you? _She_ comes back to save you."

"I don't know," I admit.

"Then she shouldn't be your mother," he snaps as his voice drops to a whisper. "Every parent would sacrifice themselves for their kid. I would. Aviva would."

"She did," I reply, defending both myself and Alessandra. "She did. On the night of the fire. It was right behind me and she knocked me forward. She got burned herself, and she screamed to me to run. Run as far as I could. Chris, it scared me. I could hear her, Marcy and Ian screaming. She got up and ran right back through the fire."

Chris stops, taking all of this in. He hugs me again and a single tear rolls down my cheek. No one knew before. And now he does.

"Oh..."

"Yeah," I reply, my voice a whisper. "She did. And I guess it was like my duty or something as Queen of the Wild."

He starts stroking my hair, and my eyes close. "I guess."

"Yeah, something like that." I nod. "I missed you, even though it was about an hour for me."

"We missed you too." After a moment he adds, "You should get some sleep. It's already 11:30 PM."

"I guess," I reply.

He kisses the top of my head, and we stand up. "Hey, no fair. You're taller then me now."

"Ha ha." I smirk. "Night... _dad._ "

"Night, Leilani."

 _I've never stopped running,_ I think as I get ready for bed. _I'm never going to outrun their deaths. Even if they are all happy together._

* * *

 **Ah, Candice the Nessie nerd. :P We are one in the same person sometimes, I swear.**

 **And I'M SORRY for the feels!**


	3. Sabotage? REALLY! NOW!

**Chapter 3! R &R?**

* * *

The next day, I wake up at 7 AM. I run outside to find the entire crew (minus Jimmy, who is sleeping, and Koki, who's in the Tortuga) is by the loch with a teenage girl. She looks about 13, and she holds a book. She has dark brown to light brown ombre hair in a ponytail. She's a little shorter then Aviva.

"Hey, Leilani." Aviva smiles. Ombre Girl turns around and just stares at me. For a second, I think it's creepy, but then I remember: oh, yeah, I died. Hopefully they already explained it.

"I can't believe it's true," she whispers. "They told me you were alive, but I doubted it."

I laugh. "You know me. So who are you?"

"Natalia," she answers. "Natalia Clarke."

I nod. "Okay, cool. So... what's the plan?"

"We were in the middle of the discussion weather to take you down to the bottom or not," Martin answers. "Since we don't know if the monster's real or not."

"Of course I'm going," I reply.

"It's dangerous, Leilani." Aviva puts her arm around me. "We don't want to lose you. Again. Plus, the monster might be a carnivore."

"So?" I ask, breaking free. "I'm _Queen of the Wild._ I lived by myself for two years."

"You're not going with us," Chris says, making the decision final.

"Fine," I roll my eyes as an idea pops into my head. I realize that I am probably the craziest teenager that anyone has ever seen. "I'll swim."

"Um," Natalia begins. "I-"

"I'll tell you what we find," Candice interrupts. "Hopefully we'll find the monster. And not get eaten."

"You're going, too?" I ask. "Okay, that's just not fair! If you're taking me, you should take me too! I can save you guys from getting _eaten_ if it turns out to be carnivorous! I want to see this thing for myself!"

"Leilani," Chris groans. "Just stay around here. Candice told us about something called Edwards' Deep. We're going to explore that, and it gets over 800 feet deep. It might even get deeper!"

"Pleeeeeeeeeease?"

" _No._ "

"But-"

" _No._ "

The argument goes on for a few more minutes until Candice just gets sick of it. "I promise I'll tell all about it, Leilani! I won't leave out a single detail."

"I agree with Candice," Martin says, but I'm pretty sure he doesn't want to make her mad.

"Fine," I mutter.

"Um, what's that?" Natalia points at the loch.

We all turn around to see ripples on the water. I grab my glittery Creature Pod from my pocket and take a video. No breeze is blowing. Could it be... _the Loch Ness Monster?_ Or is this all a really weird dream or something? Candice just stands there, but I can tell she's super excited. Of course the Nessie nerd is. But I am too. We could be famous! Oh, wait, we're already famous. Well, famous-er!

The ripples disappear, and I hit the stop button, shoving my Creature Pod into my back pocket. "Nessie? Loch Ness Monster? Whatever you'd like to be called?"

"We're going down now!" Candice exclaims, grabbing the Kratt brothers.

"We'll watch from up here!" Natalia calls as they go down.

"Not fair," I mutter. "I wanna see."

"Sorry," Aviva replies. "Maybe you can try calling from up here."

I watch the loch all day with Natalia, and we talk. Turns out she's a Nessie nerd like Candice. They'll get along. She's also president of the international fan club. She also likes silver and has a reddish brown husky named Apollo. (She's also a total book nerd like me!)

"So, Natalia, have you ever seen the monster?" I ask, looking over at her. She and I are sitting on the grass next to each other while Aviva updates some of the Creature Power Discs.

"Once. I was six. I saw its head," she replies. "It saw me and then instantly went under again. I had eaten too much candy at Amelia's birthday party, and had too much energy. I couldn't sleep, so I watched the loch. I don't think it liked me much."

I laugh. "Hopefully it likes me. I _am_ the queen, after all."

"Of Illéa?" Natalia jokes, laughing. Illéa's from _The Selection_ series. "All hail Her Royal Highness Queen Leilani Schreave of Illéa!"

"Leilani _Schreave?_ " I ask, laughing. "No, no no. Leilani _Corcovado-Kratt._ "

"Oh, no." Natalia looks past me at a woman wearing a blue T-shirt and jeans. "Not her."

"Who is she?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

"That's Maria Johnson," Natalia whispers. "She's a hunter and fisher. But she doesn't do it illegally so we can't be all, _get out of here._ I hate her."

I squint and can make out her hair color- bright red hair like America (from _The Selection_ ). She walks down to the loch and sticks a fishing pole in the ground. I stop squinting and turn back to Natalia.

"Too bad we can't stop her."

"Yeah, too bad."

"You're WHAT?!" Aviva exclaims, startling me and Natalia. The two of us run over.

"Someone sabotaged the amphisub!" Martin exclaims. "We're stuck down here. Someone made it so we couldn't get up. Right now, we're at the bottom of the loch."

"Okay, okay! Hang on, bros and Candice!" Aviva exclaims, looking around for something. "Where's the control for the robot arm? I swear I just had it!"

Natalia and I exchange a glance. And I know she can see the fear in my eyes. A tiny glimmer of hope in my eyes. Her hazel eyes show strength and hope. I break the gaze and look at the loch.

"I'll check the Tortuga!" she calls, running off.

I help Aviva look around here, but I don't see anything. I know she made it water-proof, but would it sink or float? I don't see anything _on_ the loch. So great, it might be _in_ the loch. I ignore the question in my mind, and look down. It doesn't look too deep here. In fact, I can see some rocks on the bottom. But, well, might as well search the loch.

I toss off my jacket and jump in, scanning the bottom for anything that could be rectangular shaped. Then something grabs me and pulls me up.

"Aye, Leilani, we found it!" Natalia exclaims. "But it seems to be broken somehow. You know anything about engineering?"

"Nope!" I exclaim, jumping out of the loch. "AH! COLD!"

But the cold and hypothermia is my least worry right now. I try to clear my mind of the question, but I keep thinking about it. Please let something work. Please, please please!

"Aviva? Any time would be great!" Chris exclaims.

"Someone sabotaged the robot arm, too!" Aviva exclaims. "Trying to fix it here!"

"Guys, ten minutes of air left!" Candice calls.

"Well, crap," Natalia whispers.

The question demands an answer. But I try think about other things. The Loch Ness Monster... no, bad thought! Animals? No, still bad! Alessandra and Marcy? AHH! I stare at the loch and wonder.

 _What if they don't make it?_

* * *

 **Dun dun dun! PLEASE NOTE, the Loch Ness Monster is _not a proven animal/monster!_** **If you want to find it, head over to Loch Ness in Scotland. This story is 100% fiction. (I've never even been to Loch Ness.)**


	4. What Just Happened?

**Chapter 4! :D**

 **R &R?**

* * *

 _What if they don't make it?_

I try and shake the thought, but I can't. Let's see, what could save them besides the robot arm in time? There aren't sharks or dolphins, and they don't even have their Creature Power Suits. Candice doesn't have one, end of story. (Aviva's making one for her, and it's going to be light blue.) So, there goes that idea. What- OHHHH. And then it hits me.

The Loch Ness Monster. It may not be real, but it's my only hope!

"Nessie?" I whisper to the water. "Nessie, if you can hear this, my friends are trapped at the bottom of your loch. Please, can you save them? Chris, my adoptive dad's down there. And his brother and his brother's wife. I just came back. They can't go! They just can't! Please, Nessie, if you're real, help!"

The water gives no response. So I run over to Aviva instead. There, on her computer, is Chris, Candice and Martin. Aviva's computer is on a table, and honestly, I really need Nessie to come save my family.

"Oh, Leilani," Chris says. "I wish you didn't have to see this."

"Aren't you glad you didn't come?" Candice asks, managing a slight smile.

"Chris. Candice. Martin," I whisper. "I can't do anything. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry." Chris looks at me, then Aviva. "Take care of each other, okay? I love you."

"Don't say that," Aviva cries, still working on the robot arm. "I'm almost done!"

"You can't go!" Tears roll down my cheeks.

What is this, the point in _The Hunger Games_ where everyone dies? With the sadness of rebel attacks or Rose Tyler and Doomsday? Or the Battle of Hogwarts? The death of Luke? This can't be! I'm not the girl in the story who loses her family! I'm not even IN a story!

Suddenly we hear a crash, and Martin asks, "What was that?"

"Something hit the sub!" Chris exclaims. "I love you, Aviva and Leilani! Be brave!"

And then the connection shuts off. Natalia grabs me in a hug, and I face towards the loch. Aviva's still working on the robot arm, and I fight back the urge of tears. _No... why... I get them back and they're gone... now what do I do? Get a job?_ It seems like the longest minutes of my life, and then Aviva suddenly breaks down in tears. I know what that means. The ten minutes is up. They're probably... gone.

 _Be brave,_ Chris said. Like a heroine from my books/TV shows? I can try to be brave. Everything gets better. In _The Hunger Games,_ Katniss married Peeta and they live happily ever after. _Alessandra... help me, please,_ I think. Suddenly, I feel a reassuring feeling. Like Alessandra and Marcy are both there. I look at the sky, and the clouds clear. The sun shines. Marcy must have done that. Then Natalia breaks away.

"Leilani, I'm so sor- OH MY GOD, WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!" Natalia screams, pointing at the loch. "Oh, did I just swear out loud? Crap!"

The amphisub appears, pushing its way out of the loch. The thing keeps it up above the surface. Is it...? Did it...? Oh my god, is this real? The thing pushes it onto the shore, and I see what's done it. And I can't believe my eyes.

"The Loch Ness Monster," I whisper, running over towards it. "Nessie."

Nessie hides under the water until only its (is it a girl or a guy?) head is showing. I pull out my Creature Pod and it seems to shrink under more.

"Shh, no, I'm just going to scan you." I tap a few buttons, and Nessie is scanned. She looks like a female... "Nessie, you're a girl, aren't you? You're not even a monster. And you probably not going to eat me."

"The Loch Ness Monster!" Aviva exclaims, hopping up. "Oh my gosh! You brought them back!"

She and Natalia run over to the amphisub, and I walk out towards Nessie until my shoes are wet. "Nessie, thank you so much. Can we study you? We're your friends. We want to help."

"IT'S THE LOCH NESS MONSTER! GET IT!"

"GO!" I scream, and Nessie immediately goes underwater- deep, deep down, probably. Some bullets fly over the loch, just barely missing her.

"Maria Johnson," I hear Natalia spat. "You're technically on my property. And you're trespassing."

"The lake is a public place," Maria replies. "I saw the monster."

"What monster?" I ask.

"Oh, I don't believe we've met." Maria smiles. "Maria Johnson."

"Leilani Corcovado-Kratt, yes, I'm alive, and Queen of the Wild." I reply. "Get off Natalia's property."

She smiles coldly. "If you insist."

She leaves, and Natalia looks over at me. "You did _not_ just hear me swear, right?"

"Right." I smile. "If you did would you get grounded?"

"Most likely," she answers.

Everyone, honestly, looks shocked. I mean, the _Loch Ness 'Monster'_ just brought up the amphisub from the bottom of Loch Ness. It also just appeared for me. And just when everything looked hopeless, everyone lives. ( _Just this once, everybody lives!_ A quote from the Ninth Doctor.) Natalia ans I stand there (kind of awkwardly, too) as Martin and Candice hug, and Chris and Aviva hug.

"You idiot," Aviva says, almost crying. "You scared me."

"I'm sorry," he replies, grabbing my arm and hugging me too.

"I got a scan of Nessie." I look out at the calm, clear lake. "She let me scan her. She's not a monster. She doesn't want to be hurt, though."

"You got a scan?" Candice asks, suddenly interested. "No way. No way!"

"Yeah," I reply, handing her my Creature Pod. "Here."

Candice taps buttons on it, and Martin peers over her shoulder. "Leilani, you did it! Nessie's a girl, and it looks like... She's pregnant?"

"What?" Aviva asks. "No way!"

She runs over, leaving me and Chris together. "So, I guess you're the queen of Loch Ness now?"

"I guess." I laugh. "Her Royal Highness Queen Leilani Corcovado-Kratt of Loch Ness. And the wild."

"Wait, if you're my daughter, doesn't that make you the princess and me the king?" Chris asks, teasingly.

"No." I smirk. "I'm the queen here."

"Of course, Your Highness." He bows, laughing. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

We both laugh and walk over to everyone else.

* * *

 **Okay, again, Nessie _is not a proven animal/monster_ and the story is 100% fiction. (But there HAVE been Nessie sightings, pictures  & videos that have not been proven to be a hoax!)**


	5. Babies! Babies! Babies! (Oh my GOD!)

**Chapter 5! :D R &R?**

* * *

"Wait, she's not pregnant, I think she already had her baby," Aviva points at part of my Creature Pod. "She's not a mammal, she's more fish-like."

"We have to go back down there and see her again!" Martin exclaims.

"Did you not see the lady shooting at her?!" Natalia asks. "Maria Johnson does all her hunting legally, and I don't know of any laws against hunting and/or killing her. So she could legally kill Nessie!"

"Plus, you nearly drowned!" I add. "Maria Johnson probably sabotaged the amphisub and robot arm!"

"So how do we get to Nessie without drowning, getting shot or getting _her_ shot?" Chris asks.

"Creature Powers?" Natalia suggests.

"That's good. Now, what animals live around Loch Ness that we have Creature Powers for?" Martin asks.

"Wait! Leilani's the only one who can 'talk' to Nessie, and she doesn't have one." Aviva holds the two Creature Power Suits.

"You could borrow mine, but it'd probably be too big." Martin takes his suit and slips it on.

"Here, try mine." Chris hands me his and puts it on me. My shoulders slip barely slip through the neck hole and it stops at my hips. Figures. I'm probably a little too skinny. I run a lot and don't eat a lot. (Hey, when you live in the wild for two years, you learn to ration food, especially in the winter. Even if your rich friend lives nearby. Snow is not pleasant to walk through.)

"Nope." I take Chris' power suit off and I hand it back to him.

"Maybe we could bring her to the other end of the lake," Martin suggests. "With creature powers. And we could talk to her there?"

"Why not?"

"You could so model if you wanted to!" Natalia exclaims. "Just saying!"

"No way!" I make a face. No way, no how.

"Not even a model for Aviva's inventions?" she suggests, laughing.

" _Maaaaaaaybe._ But only the Creature Power Suits would be modeled. Some fashion show!" I laugh along. Modeling looks hard. I'd probably trip during my walk, fall on my face and just start laughing. Or forget where the end of the runway is and walk right off it. I am kind of clumsy.

"Now what animals do we have discs for around here?" Martin asks, looking around. "A sperm whale would be good, but they don't live around here."

"Sperm whale? What's that?" I ask, raising an eyebrow. "I should know this."

"That's okay." Chris pulls up a picture of one on his Creature Pod. "They dive down deeper then any mammal. And they can hold their breath for longer then an hour!"

"I can't even make it to a _minute!_ " I exclaim. "Okay, now _that's_ a creature power!"

"Hey, Chris, didn't you have a whale tooth?" Aviva asks. "In the Tortuga?"

"I don't know," Chris answers. "I'll go check."

He runs off towards the Tortuga. Aviva monitors something on the computer, Natalia's looking at her nails and Candice is leading Martin off for a second. I inch my way over to hear what they're saying.

"Be careful, okay?" Candice asks, wrapping her arms around his neck. "'Cause we almost _died_ down there."

"I won't," he promises, smiling. "I'll come back for you."

"You better, you idiot." Candice smirks.

"I am not an idiot!" Martin protests. "I passed high school, college and more!"

"You only passed algebra in the eighth grade because I helped you. And I'll never make you forget." She smiles, and they kiss. What is this, the newest teen romance novel? Twilight 2.0? Or is...?

"I got it!"

* * *

So, the Kratt Brothers activate sperm whale powers, dive into Loch Ness and left the rest of us girls on the shore. Natalia's going to find and follow (no, not stalk) Maria Johnson as she goes about her rounds. Candice, Aviva and I, however, run back to the Tortuga and take it to the other end of the lake. Now we wait for the bros and hopefully Nessie. (And we wait _outside._ Because it's a nice day and we don't want any unnecessary Nessie sightings. We did pick an area with not that many people though.)

"So," I look over at Candice, "when exactly did you and Martin get married?"

"Uh... a month and a half ago, January 14. Why?" Candice asks, raising an eyebrow. "You want to see wedding pictures?"

"No reason," I lie.

" _Leilani._ Come on, what's up?"

"This is going to sound _really_ wrong if it's not true." I roll my eyes. "No."

"I'm probably not going to care. Come on!" Candice exclaims.

 _Should I? Or should I wait until it's more obvious?_ "Uh, promise you won't get mad?"

"I promise." She sighs, rolling her eyes. "Just spill already?"

"Are you pregnant?" I whisper.

"Uh..." She looks left, then right. "No. W-what makes you say that?"

"This is going to come out _really_ wrong, but you look a little... _rounder._ Aviva just spilled the beans like that-" I snap my fingers- "so I didn't just ask her about it."

And honestly, I probably wouldn't have notice like that either. Because I'm not the type of person who stares at someone else's stomach. I mean, who does that?! If I happened to notice, I'd ask, _duh,_ but if I didn't, I'd be like _what?!_ when the baby was born.

"Shh!" Candice hisses. "Don't tell Martin! Yes, it's true, just _don't tell Martin!_ "

"Why?" I ask, raising an eyebrow. "Martin loves kids!"

"Shh!" she repeats. "Sure, but _one of his own?_ I mean, then there's Aviva who's like four or five months pregnant and Martin's happy for them. Except I don't know if he wants his _own_ kid."

"Who?" Martin asks, popping out of the lake with Chris. They deactivate and walk over.

"Kim Kardashian's husband," I smile, quickly coming to Candice's rescue. "I mean, they don't even, like, _live_ together! And then Kim's just getting implants here, there, and everywhere! If she wants to get fat, she can eat a bunch of Cheetos!" **(A/N No offense to Kardashian fans!)**

"She already had her baby," Martin replies. "Who wouldn't want their own kid?"

"We found her," Chris whispers. "She's hiding under the water right now."

"Come on, Candice, you tell me." Martin looks her in the eye.

"Don't pressure her," Chris says.

"No, it's okay, Chris." Candice stands up and brushes off some dust. "We were talking about you."

"Huh?" Martin asks. God, he's thick! (Wait, is that a British saying? Is it British for me to try out for Doctor Who?)

"Martin... I'm pregnant. And you're the dad."

* * *

 **Okay, I have a question: What should we name Aviva and Candice's kids? You can PM me names (as many as you'd like) and I'll choose one for each... (and yeah, I'll credit you!)**


	6. Nessies and Maria

**DUN... DUN... DUN! Okay, like I said before, baby names! Keep e'm coming!**

 **R &R?**

* * *

"Really?" Martin asks. And then he instantly looks at her stomach. Duh.

"I'm not showing yet!" Candice exclaims, covering her stomach.

Next, Aviva tackles her in a hug. "Congratulations, Candice!"

"Congrats, bro!" Chris exclaims, putting a hand on Martin's shoulder.

Then he surges forward, picks Candice up and twirls her around in those romance movies. Aww! SO CUTE! And like they say in the fandom world... SHIP SHIP SHIP SHIP! I need to come up with a ship name. Like, seriously. Chris and Aviva are Caviva. Eh, I'll do it later.

"So... you're okay with it?" Candice asks once Martin sets her down.

"Are you kidding? I love kids!" Martin exclaims. "We're gonna be parents!"

"TOLD YOU!" I exclaim.

"You are?" Koki asks. Oh, yeah. She and Aviva were talking or something. And I swear she's glaring at Candice. "Congrats."

"Okay, back to Nessie." Candice looks over at Martin. "How are we going to get her without having her seen?"

"Maybe having her seen isn't a bad thing..." I look over at the water. "There's a fan club. And some law would probably be put in place to protect her. We just have to ask _her_ if she agrees."

"That _is_ a good idea..." Chris looks over the water.

I walk over to the water and jump in. It's cold, but not too cold. And I feel something: Nessie. She lets me grab onto the top of her neck and her head is just above the water. She kind of feels slippery, like a fish, but not too slippery.

"Nessie," I whisper. "The fabled Loch Ness Monster..."

She seems to nod, and I continue. "Okay, so you probably know I'm Leilani. That's the crew over there- my family. And we had this idea to reveal you to the public. You could live like you are now- free and in the wild, as Chris says- and there would hopefully be laws to protect you and your family. People would also want to study you... So what do you say?"

Nessie just waits. Candice gives me the thumbs-up from the shore. I give a smile back, and notice Nessie seeming to nod. I hug her, and if animals/"monsters" can smile, she definitely is smiling. Then she moves over towards the shore and lets me off. I get out of the water and smile, shivering.

"So? What'd she say?" Martin asks.

"She said yes!" I exclaim, smiling. "Now let's go get those laws passed! And other stuff.

* * *

Over the next week, we make plans to reveal Nessie to the world. There will be someone from the government and probably a bunch of news stations. And I have to be nice to people. If any of them go near the Tortuga with weapons and are not invited, there will be a problem. (Or near my family.) I doubt Nessie will eat them, though. And today's the day. I begin to walk out, but Aviva stops me.

"Go change into something nicer!" Aviva exclaims. "Maybe that nice dress you wore as a bridesmaid."

"Aviva?" I fold my arms. "Do you _really_ want me to go jumping into Loch Ness wearing that?"

"Nevermind."

I walk out with Luna. She wears a collar today with the Wild Kratts paw print logo, and a bunch of pictures are taken. Everyone's like, _OH MY GOD! Leilani's like, ALIVE! OMG! I gotta tweet this!_ or something. I just smile and wave as I walk through the crowds.

I meet Natalia down by the lake, and soon everyone arrives. And then comes Richard Lochhead, the "Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Food and Environment." (Also known as The Guy Who's Going To Make Sure Nessie's Real And Then Pass The Law to ME.) **(A/N I did look him up, and that's what it's called.** )

"Ah, are you the Wild Kratts?" he asks, walking over to us. "Oh, what a nice doggy!"

"Wolf," I correct. "Her name's Luna. And yes, we are the Wild Kratts."

"So, the Loch Ness Monster." He looks at the quiet loch.

"Nessie forever!" Natalia exclaims, filming with her phone. "And we're here with Leilani Corcovado-Kratt, Queen of the Wild and Mr. Richard Lochhead, the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Food and Environment."

"Ah, who are you?" Richard Lochhead asks. "A Nessie fan?"

"Natalia Clarke, President of the International Nessie Fan Club," she answers, smiling. "And Wild Kratts kid."

"Ah. Miss Clarke, Miss Corcovado-Kratt, excuse me for a minute." He walks over to my parents, Martin, Candice, Koki and JZ.

"So formal!" I remark, looking over. "Suit and tie. And calling us _miss_ -es!"

"I know!" Natalia exclaims. "Anything you'd like to say to the INFC?"

"Hi?" I wave awkwardly. "Okay, I don't know what to say."

"That's okay." She presses the stop button on the camera and looks at the crowds. "Maria Johnson probably is around somewhere, but doesn't have a gun. Everyone got checked."

"Good," I reply. I'll call for Nessie, and she'll come. That's basically the plan.

"Okay, Miss Corcovado-Kratt." Chris winks at me. "Call her. Call Nessie."

I take off my silver jacket and walk over to the dock. I walk to the end, and everyone waits for me to call for it. I sing a few notes and do something no one except the Wild Kratts crew expects: I jump into the lake. I can hear the gasps as I surface, and see Nessie under the water. I swim under again and stand on her back. Nothing like a dramatic entrance to make life more fun.

She rises up, out of the water, until her entire head and neck and part of her back is visible. I stand on her back, and everyone gasps. "I present to you... Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster. She is very much alive. Pass the law. Protect Nessie."

Then another Nessie comes up: a guy version of Nessie that Martin named Surgeon after the most famous photograph of the Loch Ness Monster: Surgeon's Photograph (even if it was a hoax). Everyone looks surprised: _two_ Loch Ness Monsters?! I hop off Nessie's back and onto Surgeon's.

"And this is Surgeon, named after the famous Surgeon's Photograph and named by Martin." I pat his neck. "He's Nessie's mate. And if you haven't made the connection, Nessie is going to be a mom. Just like Aviva and Candice."

I hop off Surgeon's neck and into the water, then back onto the dock. "So you see, there is more then one Loch Ness 'Monster.' But they are not even monsters. They're beings- just like you and me or Luna over there. And they need to be protected. They don't eat people. They like fish. And guess what! Unless you're a fish, you're off the menu."

"That's a lie!" Maria Johnson runs up. "My daughter could swim. And she drowned in this lake! Those things ate her!"

"And what proof do you have?" I ask, glaring. "Nessie _saved_ Chris, Martin and Candice!"

"Amelia said she was going for a swim in the lake when she was eighteen, many years ago. And she disappeared! What else could have happened?!" she spits. "It's not like she ran away. Amelia Lindsay Johnson was her name. And those _things_ ate her!"

 _Amelia Lindsay..._ Where have I heard that before?! WAIT! Could it be... _Catherine's_ mom? Amelia Lindsay _Jenkins_ was her mom. But she had married someone before Catherine's dad... Could she be? Amelia is a Scottish name... I think. Amelia Pond was Scottish!

I quickly type in Catherine's number. Scotland is 5 hours ahead of the USA's Eastern time zone, right? And it's 12-ish here... hopefully Catherine won't be too mad I'm calling her at 7 A.M.

"Who is it?" Catherine asks sleepily turning on her video chat. "OH MY GOD, LEILANI, YOU'RE ALIVE AND IN SCOTLAND!"

"Yeah, yeah," I reply. "Okay, I need your help. Your mom, her name's Amelia Lindsay Jenkins, right?"

"Yeah, why?" She raises an eyebrow.

"Just go with it. What was her _maiden_ name? Was it Johnson?"

"How'd you know?"

"And was she Scottish?"

"Are you stalking me or something?" Catherine folds her arms.

"WHAT?!" Maria asks. "What does your mom look like, girl?"

"First off, who are you?" Catherine asks, not impressed. "And second off, why do you care? Here's the story on my mom: She ran away when she was eighteen-ish because her mom was a complete bitch. The end."

" _I'm_ her mom!" Maria protests.

"Actually, that description's pretty accurate." Both Catherine and I laugh at my comment.

"So you're telling me my daughter ran off to _America?!_ " Maria sighs. "Ugh. Kids."

She storms off, and Catherine sighs. "Now come on, spill, Leilani!"

So I tell her the story of Nessie and Surgeon. Then I tell her about my "death." While that happens, Richard Lochhead discusses the new law about the Loch Ness Monster species on the phone. Once Catherine hangs up, I look over at him.

"Yes, sir." He puts up his phone. "Well, I'm glad to say that the Loch Ness Monster Act has been passed. No one may hunt the Loch Ness Monster species and to study them they must get a permit from the government or our Queen of the Wild here." He smiles at me. "The government has named them the Loch Ness Monster species, but if the Wild Kratts object, the name could probably be changed. And congratulations to Mrs. Corcovado-Kratt as well as Mrs. Kratt."

"No, the name's fine." I smile.

"NESSIES LIVE!" Natalia exclaims, filming all of this. "NESSIE FOREVER!"

I laugh. "Yes, Natalia. Nessies forever."

And with that, I jump into the lake. I get on Nessie's back, and she takes me for a ride around the lake.

* * *

 **Ahh, sweet ending! :D Next up is a little one-shot with _lots_ of fluff. Yippee!**


End file.
